Burroughs High baseball coach allegedly gave players beer

A high school baseball team in contention to make the playoffs has seen its season come to a sudden end after school officials discovered that an assistant coach supplied players with beer on a road trip.

Burroughs High School varsity baseball coach J.R. Schwer and three other coaches were fired, according to a statement from the school's principle. The coaches were not teachers at the school.

Eleven students who admitted to drinking were suspended five days from school and four weeks from the team. Seven other students who knew of the drinking and failed to bring it up were also suspended.

"For those students, if you violate the student code as an athlete, it's four weeks suspension from your team," said Stan Carrizosa, the Burbank School District superintendent.

With a month left in the season, the school was forced to forfeit the remaining nine games.

Schwer said he didn't know about the drinking until it was brought to his attention last week.

He said he was heartbroken that seven players who didn't drink on the trip were suspended two days from school and for the remainder of the baseball season.

"They stood up for themselves, they didn't give into peer pressure and they're being penalized," Schwer said. "Some of these kids are honor students."

Administrators at Burroughs High have filed a police report with the Burbank Police Department to see if criminal charges could come of it.

"That's really terrible. They worked all hard all season and now it's just gone," student Jayme Lotka said.